Akita Rescue of Western NY, Inc. is a non-profit, charity organization that covers the northeast USA. ARWNY helps with saving & rehoming Akitas in need, as well as offering advice with health, nutrition, temperament and training of Akitas everywhere! Of course, we don't take the place of great vets or wonderful trainers/behaviorists but we are willing to help in any way we can!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Neighbors....

We've been so spoiled, living at the kennel, never having to worry about "neighbors". But oh, are we dealing with them now!

Its obvious our "big dogs" are not welcome in this neighborhood. We have a fenced in yard, the dogs are only out to do their business in that yard, they are not left in the yard for more than 5 minutes at a time. Yet its just constant complaints now -- how have you all dealt with this stupidity all these years? I've been so spoiled!

There are people in my neighborhood that walk dogs or allow dogs to run off leash. These dogs run along, doing their business on everyone's lawn -- who did they blame before we moved here? Suddenly, its "notes" left in our mailbox "Please clean up the yard next door to your yard so no one calls the Township to complain." What? Clean up the yard NEXT to mine when my dogs aren't even out of my own yard? My dogs don't make the mess in that yard -- yet you want us to clean up someone else's yard??

So now what -- we are to live in fear that someone who has lived here for years & is well "known" to the neighborhood, will call the township to blame OUR dogs for making a mess in someone's yard?? Suddenly our dogs are responsible for all the dog poop up and down the street -- even though my dogs never leave our back yard? We don't even walk our dogs in this neighborhood -- my son takes his dogs down to his in-law's property at the shore to walk his dogs. Our own Baebae doesn't want to be walked because his arthritis is too bad so up and down the steps & out in the back yard is enough for him. Yet now, the tiny poop from the doxies, the cocker, the pitbull that all run off leash is OUR worry everywhere? Not to mention the old golden from 2 blocks over who poops as he walks because he is so old -- his poop is now our worry?

I hate living in a neighborhood like this. I am so sick of busybody neighbors who are big-dog haters, who want to blame my yard-only Akitas for all the mess on the whole block. We just moved here and we are already thinking we should move out!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

2 comments:

Anonymous notes, so you can't even explain to them that it's not your doing? How stupid and unproductive for everyone! Perhaps a little sign next to your mailbox. "My dogs poop in their own yard. Take your harassing notes and stick them somewhere else." Whatever you do, don't let a few assholes keep you from getting to know your neighbors and educating them, if you can, about your dogs.

My neighbors here in Michigan have been nothing but pleasant. People in rural Vermont never seemed to be big dog haters either - my guy got compliments everywhere he went. We always found Boston and suburban New Jersey more uptight... People are more worried about percieved dangers to their perfect yard, their perilously controlled yip-dog, or their kids. But even in the city, there always seemed to be a balance friendly encounters with strangers who talk to you because you have a dog with you, when otherwise they would almost certainly have passed you by without that twinkle of human connection... My roommate and I used to take Caboo on the T all the way to Boston Common and then run home to Brighton, collecting compliments all the way. He said his only comparable experience of getting so much positive, interested attention from strangers was of being the only white guy in a village in Namibia.

Sometimes the stupidity of people astounds me. One afternoon my husband received a call from they lady across they street - she had been out getting her mail (her mail box happens to be next too mine at the end of our fenced yard)...Anyway she felt she needed to tell my husband that my dogs had their paws on the fence and that they looked mean (keep in mind on was 2 years old and the other 10 months)...She was afraid of them and wanted us to keep them in when she gets her mail so she would not have to look at them....Can you believe that???

Well it gets better I have a neighbor on the other end of the spectrum - TOO nice. Like I said, I have 2 Akitas who are contained in a 2 acre space with a SEVEN FOOT fence. Why a seven foot fence? Because my neighbors who walk by my house daily (Um, couldn't they go the other way) have to stop and talk to my then 1 year old intact male. They didn't come up and pet him, no they just stayed 10 feet away talking to (teasing) him. At the time the fence was 5 feet. Well how long do you think it took him to figure out that he could jump out and go say hi! They thought it was cute and when he got out they would put him back in the yard and not tell me. GRRRR. I them asked nicely to stop or go the other way for a while, then I begged, then I called the dog officer because they would not stop - they saw nothing wrong with stopping and teasing him. The dog office also asked them nicely to leave the dogs alone (she happens to love my dogs)., but to no avail. So, up went the fence, and still they do it! He can't get out now but he still gets stressed when he sees them...and so do I!!!

About ARWNY and a bit about me

Nancy Lamm & Lynny Benzinger helped start ARWNY way back in 1996 but both were doing rescue since the late 70s; I started doing Akita Rescue in '86 first w/ ARSA, then w/ DVAR.
Joining ARWNY in '99 as VP/Director, I helped to expand ARWNY's territory over the next few yrs, from covering Western NY to almost the entire NE USA with the help of many wonderful volunteers! Over the years, I have watched the idea of rescue grow from a small, little-known concept to a source of pride & achievement within the Akita community; I'm proud to have been a part of this growth. I learned how to do rescue correctly by helping & volunteering, taking advice from fellow rescuers in Akitas & other breeds, as well as learning everything I could from wonderful Akita breeders & show people along the way.
I am proud of the work we do in ARWNY -- we have wonderful volunteers & supporters so it makes our work meaningful in so many ways!!
I currently reside w/my daughter Jenn, who is also part of ARWNY, & our newest adopted Akita Zeus, who came to us when our beloved BaeBae went "over the Rainbow Bridge" recently.

Video For JuJu & all abused Akitas

ARWNY ADOPTER VIDEO

ARWNY PICNIC VIDEO

Akita Club of America National Show

Some of our great adopters at the ACA Parade!

WELCOME TO ARWNY'S BLOG!!

Hopefully you will find this blog helpful in understanding the work rescue does in saving Akitas. The joy, the heartbreak, the decisions we all have to make when trying to save the lives of Akitas in peril. My hope is that you will realize how much time & effort goes into saving even just one Akita, let alone the many that ARWNY does save. Its wonderfully rewarding work but filled with heartbreak & dispair when we don't have room to help save Akitas in need or get involved with a puppymill situation, or take in a very ill, sick Akita like Wish, like Ben. We realize we can't save them all -- but we hope by reading this blog, you will all realize that we do a tremendous amount of work in saving those we are able to rescue!!